Ashtavakra Gita · Verse 1.6 · Ashtavakra speaks
Virtue and vice, pleasure and pain are of the mind and not of you, O all-pervading one. You are neither doer nor enjoyer. Verily, you are ever free.
Word by word
धर्माधर्मौ
dharmādharmau
virtue and vice, merit and demerit
compound noun (dharma + adharma), masculine, nominative dual
Dharma and adharma spring from right and wrong actions, which are possible only when we mistake ourselves as doers. They belong to the mind, not to the Self.
सुखम्
sukham
pleasure, happiness
noun, neuter, nominative singular
दुःखम्
duḥkham
pain, suffering
noun, neuter, nominative singular
मानसानि
mānsāni
mental, of the mind
adjective, neuter, nominative plural
विभो
vibho
O all-pervading one
noun, masculine, vocative singular
कर्ता
kartā
doer, agent
noun, masculine, nominative singular (agent noun from kṛ)
The sense of being a doer (kartṛtva) is the root of bondage. It belongs to the ego-mind complex, not to the Self.
भोक्ता
bhoktā
enjoyer, experiencer
noun, masculine, nominative singular (agent noun from bhuj)
मुक्तः
muktaḥ
free, liberated
past passive participle used as adjective, masculine, nominative singular
सर्वदा
sarvadā
always, ever, at all times
indeclinable temporal adverb